Acetylene-gas generator.



`R. DL BRADEN.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.19. 1911.

LQQ@ Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

, Mz; 71 *Wm 21, mm1

R. D. BRADEN.

ACETYLENE GASv GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED DEC.19. |911.

' Patented Aug. 3, '1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COUWA-BHINIINN. D. C.

ROBERT I). IBRADEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO OXWELD ACETYLENE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Specification of vLetters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed December 19, 1911. Serial No. 666,800.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. BRADEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to acetylene generators of the carbid feed type, and has reference more particularly to an improved underground generator designed for installations where it may not be practicable or desirable to install the generator inside the building, such as houses having no basements, churches, and other buildings which are not continuously heated during freezing weather.

Among the leading objects of the invention are, to provide a generator of this type, which, even though when installed outside of insured property shall, nevertheless, be constructed in accordance with established standards of safety and efficiency and comply with the rules and requirements of the National Board of Fire Underwriters governing acetylene lighting apparatus; to provide a generator of this type wherein the carbid holder and its feed mechanism are combined in a single removable structure and may be held in place without bolts or other fastening means, and may be readily removed without the use of wrenches or other tools; to provide means for facilitating the removal and replacement of the storage bell and carbid holder and its feed mechanism; to provide, in a generator of this type, improved means for removing the residuum, and for re-illing the generation chamber with water; to provide asensitive and reliable mechanism for effecting the feed of carbid through the rise and fall of the storage bell; to provide an improved mechanism for indicating the amount of carbid in the carbid holder and showing when the same must be refilled; to provide means for indicating to the operator when the generation chamber has been filled with water to the required height; and, generally,-to provide a simple, compact, easily handled and highly efficient automatic gas generating apparatus of the type specified. These and other minor objects and advantages are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings con- 'handle of the latter when in use.

stituting one approved mechanical embodiment of the invention, and in which,-

Figure 1 is a view of my improved generator partly in side elevation and partly in axial verticalsection, broken out between its ends; and showing the same located within a suitable pit or cistern. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-section through the generator on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the carbid hopper. Fig. t is an enlarged detail in vertical section showing the means for supporting and protecting the upper end of the stem of the feed valve. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail, broken olf and partly in vertical section, illustrating the joint between the pivoted carbid indicator arm and the actuating mechanism connecting the same to the pointer of the indicator scale. Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating a separable joint in the actuating rod of the agitator permitting the removal of the Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional detail on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. S is a detail fragmentary elevation of the indicator scale and pointer.

Referringto the drawing, 4, indicates a suitable pit or cistern within which the genferator is installed, the pit being preferably of somewhat greater diameter than the outer 'casing of the generator, and the space betion chamber formed within the lower por- .tion of the tank, and the water seal of the storage bell thereabove, will both be safely below the frost line. Within and preferably coaXial with the tank 6 is a smaller and shorter stationary cylinder 7 open at both ends and having at its lower end an annular iiange 8 that is secured to the inner surface of the tank 6, as by rivets 8a (Fig. 2), thereby vforming an annular water seal chamber 9 between the inner cylinder 7 and the tank 6.

On the upper edge of the cylinder 7 rests the carbid receptacle designated as an entirety by l0. This latter, in the preferred 'form herein shown, comprises an upper cy- ,lindrcal body portion 11, a hopper bottom ioy 12, and a cylindrical lower portion or apron 11a surrounding the hopper bottom and conveniently forming a downward extension of the cylindrical body portion 11 which telescopes loosely within the stationary cylinder 7, and with sufficient freedom to permit the .ready passage of gas from the underlying Vgenerationchamber between said telescoping parts, for a purpose hereinafter disclosed. The carbid receptacle is conveniently supported on the upper edge of the stationary cylinder 7 by means of a series of lateral projections conveniently taking the form of vertical ribs 13 formed on the cylindrical body portion of the carbid receptacle, the lower squared ends of these ribs 13 resting'directly upon the upper edge of the cylinder 7. ,The body of the receptacle is provided with a top wall or cover 14, equipped with the usual filling plug 15, and further provided iwith a handle 16 for convenience in removing the carbid receptacle .from the tank of the generator.

- has a feed opening guarded by` a conical feed valve' 19 of the vertical moving type, said valve lcoperating with a hood or shield 20 located a slight distance above the valvecontrolled feed opening of the hopper and supporte'd from the walls of the latter by short legs 21 '(Fig. 2). In the upper end or apex of the shield 20 is secured a short -sleeve 22 (Fig. 4) which forms a guide and stop for the stem 23 of the valve 19, its upper end cooperating with a nut 24 on .the upper end of the valve stem 23 to'adjust and limit the downward movement of the valve. The guide sleeve 22 and the upper fend of thevalve stem are protected from l the carbid by a thimble 25 that screws down :over the upper end of the guide-sleeve 22.

rllhe lower vend of the valve 19 rests upon Vone arm 26 vof a horizontal lever that is pivoted at 27 to a depending bracket 28 on the carbid hopper, and the opposite arm 29 of said lever has pivoted thereto a rod 30 Y thatextends upwardly through a long guide sleeve 31` carried by: and partly within the hopper', and at its upper end is adapted, on the descent of the storage bell 17, to be struck bythe top wall or cover of the latter so as to raise the valve 19 andv permit a flow of carbid thereby into the underlying gener-v ation chamber, this latter being indicated by 32. It will be noted that the lower end of the guide-tube 31 extends downsubstantially to the lever arm 29 when thc feed valve 19 is in its lowermost or closing position, and thus, in combination with the said lever safeguards the valve against falling out of place in the possible event that the nut 24 should work loose from the valvestem, or the latter become broken, or the upper support of the valve be otherwise interrupted.

Suitably secured to and within the main casing or tank G, as by a` bracket 33, is a gasdelivery pipe 34 that extends down through the sealing chamber 9 and through the bottom wall 8 of the lat-ter, so as to communicate freely at its lower end with the generation chamber 32 above the level of the water in the latter. At any suitable point in its height the pipe 34 is connected, by the T- coupling 35, with an underground service pipe 3G; and the upper end of the deliverypipe 34 is provided with a cock 37 which may be opened to permit the ingress and egress of air when the generation chamber is being emptied and filled while the carbid hopper and storage bell are in place.

n one side and externally of the tank G, near the top, is formed a small pocket 38 having a hinged lid 39 and constituting a housing for a scale-40 (Fig. 8) applied to or formed on the wall of the tank, over which scale moves an indicator linger 41 that shows the condition, as to quantity, of the carbid within the receptacle 10. The mechanism through which the indicator linger 41 is actuated comprises, in the preferred form herein shown, an indicator arm or paddle 42 within the carbid receptacle, the broad free end of which normally lies on top of the body of carbid therein. The other end of the arm 42, as shown in the detail view, Fig. 5, has a right-angle extension 43 journaled in one wall of a box 44 that is supported on a guide tube 45 within and secured to the hopper bottom of the carbid receptacle, the arm 42, beyond the angular extension 43, having a further right-angle extension taking the form of a loop 46 which engages a laterally projecting pin 47 on a rod 48. This latter passes through the box 44 and tubular guide 45, its upper portion passing through and extending above the cover 14 of the carbid receptacle, as shown at 49, and its lower portion extending through and below the hopper bottom of the carbid receptacle within the depending apron 11 and terminating in a Small disk or button 50.

In a tubular guide 51 secured to and inwardly of the stationary inner cylinder 7 by brackets 62, is slidably mounted a rod 53, the upper end of which engages and forms a contact joint with the underside of the disk 50, while its lower end is connected to the short arm 54 of a lever pivoted at 55 vto a depending bracket 56 o n the stationary cylinder 7, the long arm 57 of said lever being connected to the lower end of a long rod 58 guided in a tube 59 that extends through and some distance above and below the sealing chamber. The upper end of rod 58 is bent outwardly to pass through a slot 60 in the wall of the tank, and is again bent to form the indicatory finger 41 above referred to as coperating with the scale 40.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that, as the carbid in the receptacle 10 is used and its level lowered, the indicator arm or paddle 42 will gradually drop, and, through the described connections, slightly raise the disk 50. This will permit the long rod 58 carrying the indicator finger and the long arm 57 of the lever to drop by gravity to the extent permitted by the upward movement of the disk 50, which, of course, is constantly engaged by the upper end of the rod 53. The lowest marking on the scale 40 corresponds with the empty condition of the carbid receptacle, and the highest marking on the scale corresponds with the fully charged condition of the carbid receptacle, so that the operator or owner of the apparatus by merely raising the lid 39 and noting the position of the pointeron the scale, can readily ascertain the condition, as to quantity, of the carbid in the receptacle at any time.

Pivoted at 61 on the cover 14 of the carbid receptacle is an interference device in the form of a lever, one arm 62 of which has an upwardly bent end portion 63 normally overlying the filling plug 15, while the other arm 64 has an upwardly bent end portion 65 that normally lies adjacent to but not interfering with the upper end 49 of the rod 48. lVhen the carbid receptacle is to be refilled, the rod 48, 49 is first depressed, and the lever is then swung as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 to free the filling plug 15, which carries the end 65 of the lever over the depressed end 49 of the rod, thus holding the indicator arm 42, which has been fully raised by the depression of the rod 48, 49 in such raised position during the refilling of the receptacle. When the receptacle has been charged and the filling plug replaced, the lever is swung back to the position shown in Fig. 3, which releases the rod 48, 49, and restores the free action of the indicator mechanism. It will thus be seen that the utility of the interference device consists in insuring the restoration of the indicator arm or paddle to fully raised position, and also, upon the replacement of the carbid receptacle within the machine, in the restoration of the pointer of the indicator mechanism to fully raised position, whenever the carbid receptacle is recharged.

The outer casing or tank 6 of the machine is provided with a sloping or inclined bottom wall 66, and with a solid or imperforate cover 67 that, when in place, fully protects the internal parts from the ingress of dirt or foreign matter, and from the weather. Within the generation chamber 32 is a tube 68 which extends from a point slightly above the lowest point of the bottom wall 66 through the bottom wall 8 of the annular sealing chamber, the upper end of said tube establishing the normal water level in the sealing chamber; said tube also serving as a convenient means for filling the generation chamber with water by overflow from the sealing chamber without the necessity of removing the storage bell and carbid receptacle, although, of course, when the latter parts have been withdrawn for renewing the supply of carbid, the generation chamber may be directly filled by water poured through the cylinder 7. To effect the drainage of the generation chamber', when necessary, employ a removable pump 69, the tube 69a of which is secured just inside the wall of the tank 6, as by brackets 70, and extends down, preferably through the tube 68, to a point just above the lowest point of the bottom wall 66 of the generation chainber. The pump tube 69a is threaded at its upper end slightly below the cover 67 to permit the ready attachment thereto, when the cover 67 is removed, of the pump 69. To facilitate the withdrawal of the residuum, I preferably employ an agitator'in the form of an arm or sweep 71 that overlies the bottom wall of the generation chamber and is secured to the lower end of an agitator rod 72 extending down alongside the pump tube, said rod being guided in a tube 73 that also preferably extends through the overflow tube 68, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The agitator rod is preferably, and as here shown, made in two separable sections,-a main section 72 that terminates at its upper end slightly below the cover 67 and is formed with a square socket 74 (see Figs. 6 and 7), and a shorter section 7 2a having a reduced and squared lower end portion 75 forming a sliding t with the socket 74, the short section 7 2a terminating in a handle 76. From this it will be apparent that the pump 69 and the upper section 7 2a and handle 76 of the agitator rod are disconnected, and the cover or lid 67 is in place during the normal operation of the machine; but when recharging is necessary,lthe lid 67 is removed, the pump and rod handle readily applied, whereupon, after operating the agitator for a brief time to stir up and bring to substantially uniform condition the residuum in the generation chamber, said residuum may be pumped out by the pump 69, after which the pump and agitator handle are again disconnected to permit the subsequent application of the lid 67. 1n this connection it may also be noted that there is a distinctl advantage in passing the pump tubeand the agitator rod: and its tubular guide down into the generationchamber through the overflow tube` 68, in that such an arrangement dispenses, with the necessity of additional soldered joints for the said parts in the bottom wall 8 of the sealing chamber; and this arrangement, further, facilitates the withdrawal of the pump tube, agitator rod, or the tubular g-uideof the latter, when necessary, since not, involving the breaking of a permanent joint or seal between` the said parts andthe bottoml wall of the sealing chamber.V The pump tube and agitator rod and its guide may, however, be otherwise disposed, without going outside the invention in its broader aspects.

To insure the correct registration. of the carbid receptacle with the stationary cylinder 7 which supports the same so that the disk or button 50v on the lower end of the indicator rod 48 will register and form a f Contact joint with the upper end ,of the rod 53, I provide on the outer cylindrical surface 11 of the carbid receptacle a longitudinal rib 7 7 (see Fig. 2) adapted to have sliding engagement with the slot 78 formed vin the cylinder 7.

To facilitate the installation of the apparatus which, in the larger sizes isV quite heavy, andl more especially the lowering of the same into the pit or cistern, I secure to; the upper end of the tank 6 a pair of staples 79 located diametrically opposite eachother, and forming a convenient hitch for theropes or cables of a block and tackle slung from a gin or tripod over the pit.

To facilitatethe removal and replacement of the storage bell and carbid receptacle, I preferably provide thevtank 6 with a detachable, bail-shaped frame 80,l the lower ends. of which are adapted. toA fit within socket-.pieces 8l strongly secured to, and on` opposite sides of the tank 6 at or near its upper end as by cli-'ps 82. With the cover 67 removed, the bail 80 is readily mounted in the sockets 8l and constitutesan overhead support for any suitable hoisting and lowering devices Vadapted to engage the handle 18 ofthe store age bell vand the handle 16 of the carbid receptacle.4 In the normal working condition of the machine, the frame 80, like the pump and agitator handle, is disconnected and removed.

Across the upper end of the generation chamber 32 extends a strip or bar 83 which is located coincident with the proper level of the Awater in the generation chamber. The position in which this indicator bar is set is determined by the relative capacities of the carbid .receptacle and generation chamber under the generally established rule of providing a gallon of water in the generation chamber for each. pound of carbid in the carbid holder. When the generation chamber is ybeing refilled, with the storage bell and, carbid holder removed, the operator fills the chamber with water until its level, coincides with or touches the bar 83.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides a simple, compact and self-contained acetylene'gas generator for underground purposes, so located as to eliminate danger of the freezing of the water in either the freezing chamber or the generation chamber. When made in substantial size, the apparatus is capable of convenient operationV without requiring recharging or other attention, for periods of several months. at a time. The construction permits the easy removal and replacement of the storage bell and carbid receptacle for recharging or other purposes without the necessity of disconnecting and subsequently connecting up attached parts; and the stationary cylinder 7 open at both ends, is sufficiently large vto permit the lowering of a workman therethrough into the generation chamber when necessary for cleaning or repairs. The indicator device affords a reliable and wholly automatic means for disclosing the condition, as to amount, of the carbid in the receptacle, and when it is necessary to recharge the latter, without the necessity of opening up the generator. By

means of the agitator, the residuum or sludge in the generation chamber can be chui-ned to a sufficiently uniform liquid condition to be readily extracted by the pump, thus dispensingwith the slow and tedious method of dippingthe residuum out by means of buckets. The interference device insures the proper setting of the indicator mechanism each time the carbid holder is filled; and the staples 79 and frame 80 contribute in considerable measure to the ease and facility of installing the generator and of handling the charging bell and carbid holder.

It will be manifest to those skilled in the art that detail changes might be made in the construction and relative arrangements of the coperating parts without departing from the operative principles involved or sacrificing any of the benefits and advantages secured by the invention, and hence I do not limit the latter to the precise structure disclosed except to the extent clearly indicated in specific claim.

I claim- In a gas generator of the character described, the combination with a tank forming at its lower end a generation chamber, of an upright stationary cylinder open at both endswithin said tank having at its lower end a flange secured to the inner snrface of said tank and forming with the lat ter an annular sealing chamber, a carbid rellO eeptacle at its lower end entering said eylber, and e gas delivery pipe leading from irder andlprcvideol eXteriorly Wilth a seris said generation chamber.

o Vertice ri s resting at their ower en s upon the upper edge of the latter and also ROBERT D BRADEN' forming guides for a storage bell, a storage bell telescoping over said guide ribs and at its lower end dipping into said sealing cham- Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, DAISY C. THORSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by adressng' the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

